


Love is everywhere

by martinemoonshine



Series: Love is everywhere [1]
Category: The Durrells (TV)
Genre: Corfu, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-06-21 09:34:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15554802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/martinemoonshine/pseuds/martinemoonshine
Summary: What happened after Louisa and Spiro went, to the circus, they almost kissed and the next day the ending of something that never even started because Spiro’s wife and children returned from Athens. The arrival of many guests wanting a taste of the Corfu Larry described in Larry’s article.





	1. Guests at the house

Chapter 1:

What happened after Louisa and Spiro went, to the circus, they almost kissed and the next day the ending of something that never even started because Spiro’s wife and children returned from Athens. The arrival of many guests wanting a taste of the Corfu Larry described in Larry’s article.

1.1.Guests at the house

Larry was right when he said the visitors were a distraction. They kept her busy with all kinds of things and they made sure her thoughts did not stray too much to Spiro.

At first, Louisa was angry at Larry for it was his made up story that brought all these guests to their house. But like always a problem also seemed to be a new opportunity and a change of plans. Louisa was not the person to sit around worrying about it. She told her children: “ Let’s not get our self down and give these people a wonderful time on Corfu and by all means a place to sleep.“

If they had to accommodate all the guests, their house would look like a beehive with too many inhabitants. Therefore a number of visitors were accommodated in guest houses nearby. Spiro was a marvel at arranging these things for her despite the very awkward situation they were in that evening.

In a way, it was nice to have guests at the house because it also meant that Spiro regularly came by at the house. Corfu was a small island and news travelled around quickly. Many locals had seen them together at the circus. Spiro was a man of honor and devoted to his kids and would not have casually stopped at their house without a purpose. If he had done so, it would have made things more difficult between him and his wife. Spiro already mentioned that his wife thought he spend to much time with others including her.

When he was at her home they were polite to each other and they did not speak more than necessary. Their looks were hard and with suppressed emotions. She knew she tried to hide her feelings in front of him but she wondered how Spiro was doing?

Sometimes she caught him staring at her secretly, but she never showed she knew. She loved it when he was admiring her from a distance. At those moments she knew that he had also raised a facade and tried to hide his feelings for her as far as possible. But like Louisa, he did not always succeed.

Spiro sometimes looked tired, with his hair wild and a face unshaven. She had to admit that when he looked like this, he still was very attractive. Sometimes her heart sank and she could hardly hold back her tears. When she looked at Spiro, she looked into a mirror and saw the sadness and pain she felt, reflected in his eyes. It hurt inside but it was also an acknowledgment that the feelings were real and not only appeared in her dream.

He always kept his face without expression and emotions, like a poker player. He remained passive, cold and distant. It seemed as if his face was often tight with anger. She knew a little bit about Spiro and knew that he was not his jovial self. He was always happy and buoyant but lately she did not see this Spiro anymore. It was as if he were a tiger in a cage or one of Gerry's other animals that were held captive.

At moments like this, she wanted to go to him and say that it would be ok. She wanted to take his hands and put a kiss on it or take his face in her hands and gently stroke his cheek with her thumb.

She knew that it was not right what they felt for each other and she should not surrender to it. But why could something that felt so wonderful, be so bad?

All she wished for him was happiness, joy and a rich life of love.

\----

1.2. Meeting with Harry

Like Louisa at first, her youngest son Gerry was not pleased with the guests either. It ment he had to spent more time at home helping his mother. Gerry could therefore meet less often with Theodore Stephanides and Galini. Living a considerable distance away from the center of town, the Durrell children were isolated. This might explain the intensity of Gerry’s passion for wild and domestic creatures. Theo and Galini also shared this passion and together they could go out for hours and wander around Corfu. They were looking for birds of prey, together with Theo he had been staring at a wall of insects and small creatures (and waiting for one to eat another) and at other times they were at the water and played a game who could see the most species of animals and plants in the water.

After two days Gerry made an wonderful discovery. Among the new guests he found an nature loving companion in Harry. Harry was a 62-year-old biologist who came from England. His knowledge about animals and plants even impressed Theo. It was ideal because now there were four and everyone had a buddy. Gerry and Galini, Theo and Harry. The four of them went out regularly and wandered about Corfu. Looking for spiders, caterpillars and flights of butterflies.

Theo had told that Corfu has a rich variety of reptiles. Reptiles include snakes, lizards and turtles. One day the all went out early in the morning to look for lizards. Lizards had the most beautiful variety of colours and the lived everywhere and that day they hoped to see some of them lazing in the sun.

They had seen some lizards between rocks and stones and now they had been walking for a while without seeing a new species of lizard. Suddenly Gerry and Galini spotted a very big and long lizard on a tree. It was almost impossible to spot because it stayed very still in the tree. We laughed a bit when Theo made a sort of giggle and a small leap of joy at the sight of this special lizard. He explained that is was the Laudacia stelio (in Corfiot “Skoutzikas”) or the Stellagama stellio. It had the almost perfect camouflage. Harry explained that these special lizards can change color to express their moods. It was as if we were being taught by Harry about these special lizards, such as: they cherish themselves on stone walls, rocks and trees. They are quite shy, being very ready to dive into cracks to hide from potential predators. All four of them stayed there for a while staring at this amazing beautiful beast being extremely happy that they had spotted this lizard.

Satisfied, tired and hungry from walking, they wanted to go back to the villa when al of a sudden Theo spotted a chameleon. Gerry knew that chameleons have long tongues, having eyes that can observe two different objects simultaneously and some chameleon species are able to change their skin coloration. All very distinctive features of the Chameleon. It was amazing to have spotted the chameleon, but they all stood mesmerized when this chameleon was giving birth. At first Gerry thought that the chameleon was pooping so he had to laugh. But Theo explained that each young chameleon was born within the sticky transparent membrane of its yolk sac. The mother presses each egg onto a branch, where it sticks. They all saw this membrane bursts and the newly hatched chameleon freed itself and climbed away to hunt for itself and hide from predators. This did not happen once but fifteen times! They had all witnessed the birth of fifteen new chameleons! They looked at each other and only Gerry could say something. The only thing that came out of his mouth was: wow. Everyone agreed that this was the most wonderful moment of the day and could not be surpassed for a long time. Ge

rry took a little baby chameleon into a glass that he always carried with him to put in small reptiles. Like al his animals Gerry gave the baby chameleon a name: Camille. The explanation of Gerry why he gave his animals names was actually simple: “ because we give names to everyone we love.” Everyone's faces shone! Gerry could not wait to tell this family at home. Tired, satisfied and overwhelmed by all that they had seen that day, they walked back to the villa.

\---

1.3 Spiro the handyman and William

On afternoon Spiro arrived at their house with his “handyman” hat on.

When he was close to the kitchen door, he saw Louisa laughing with a strange man. It seemed like they had fun together. He felt a pain, a twinge in his heart. He only had to look at her and see her together with a strange man to be totally upset and feel sad. He did not go inside because he had to recover from what he had seen and felt.

He walked back to the terrace and found some of the Durrell children there. He was greeted enthusiastically by Margo and Gerry, who gave him a welcome hug. Leslie being Leslie, only nodded friendly to him. Spiro casually asked who the man was in the kitchen. Gerry told him that he was a guest from Scotland and that he had helped them with all kinds of chores in the house. His name was William.

Margo and Leslie praised William for his help and they all told him the things he had done because Spiro was not available: George helped to make the generator, fixed the shelves, hung up a painting and he made a loft for the animals with Gerry. Now he was making lunch with Louisa because Lugaretzia suffered from her back and was sent home by Louisa. Margo also said without any attention to Spiro's feelings that she thought William had a soft spot for her mother.

Spiro was not happy that this William had fixed the shelves, a job that he had promised to finish himself. Spiro had no right to feel the way he felt but he was very jealous. He wanted to be the man who made Louisa laugh, who helped her and stood beside her.

Gerry invited Spiro for lunch because he had not seen him around a lot lately. His siblings teased him by saying that Gerry wasn’t around a lot either. Spiro wanted to turn down the invitation but the children told him to stay because mother would love to see him again. Gerry immediately went to the kitchen and announced that Spiro would stay for lunch.

When Larry entered the terrace, a look was exchanged between the two men. Larry sympathized with Spiro. He knew that Spiro, like his mother, had put his feelings aside. But his brothers and sisters made it difficult for Spiro to feel and show nothing at this moment.

Larry winked and indicated that he wanted to speak to Spiro. They walked towards the garden to have some privacy. Spiro was grateful for the walk because it gave him time to get a grip on himself. When they stood there in the shade of the trees looking out over de Ionian see they had a man to man talk. Larry told Spiro that his mother was heart broken when he left her standing on the terrace that day. Larry continued to say that he knew Spiro felt the same. He held up his hand when Spiro started to protest and said he should not deny something that was so strong and evident. Larry being the writer he is, quoted from literary works and said to Spiro:

E. M. Foster would say: “It isn't possible to love and part. You will wish that it was. You can transmute love, ignore it, muddle it, but you can never pull it out of you. I know by experience that the poets are right: love is eternal.”

Spiro thought about Larry's quote and knew that these wise words were true. He nodded to Larry for confirmation but tried not to get too much of his feelings and emotions to the surface being the proud man he was.

Because he had been open to Larry once before (in Larry’s room about the fact that his wife had left), he told Larry that he found it difficult to see Louisa with William. Larry laughed and said : “ you silly man: William is a nice and friendly man with maybe a weakness for mother but mother will never look at William in the way that she looks at you!” Spiro became shy of these candid words. They were interrupted in their further conversation by the voice of Louisa who shouted: “Lunch is ready”. Spiro gave Larry a pat on the shoulder and and felt fatherly feelings like pride and gratitude for Larry.

They went inside to have lunch. Spiro sat opposite Louisa. He could nog help but think: at the head of the table like the father of the family. William sat on the right side of Louisa. Louisa made a wonderful and delicious lunch, with local specialities but also English food he had never tasted. She was a very good cook, better than his wife he had to admit. William was telling a story to Louisa and she tried to listen carefully. She could not keep her attention at his conversation. That was not only because of the gaze of Spiro but also because of the enormously boring story that William was putting up. She looked across the table from beneath her eyelashes and she caught Spiros look. They gazed at each other and she gasped for a breath.

Only the fact that he looked at her made a warm wave go through her body and everything began to tingle in her. She closed her eyes for a minute to fully enjoy the feeling but also to recuperate at the same time. It would be safer now to listen to the conversation from Larry and William.


	2. Camping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the guests have arrived, the daily life of the Durrell family continues. Everyone tries to pick up their daily routine. Some members of the family are going camping. There are problems but we got a lot of feelings going around.

Chapter 2

2.1. On the terrace

Larry had problems writing in a crowded house. Too many sounds and voices were distracting him. He could not hear the hammering of his own typewriter let alone hear himself think. He gradually became more and more frustrated and wasn’t always friendly towards the guest in their house. Many times he even shouted “ don’t you know who I am, please shut up, I am writing a novel!”

His mother reminded him regularly that he was the one who had ensured that the guests were there. She would say to him: “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” 

He frowned in amazement when his mother used these words. He did not say anything to her because he did not know where this quote came from. He had even spent days trying to figure it out. He had borrowed a number of books from Countess Mavrodaki and asked several people, but nobody knew exactly. Finally he spoke to Theo Stephanides who had come back from Athens. It was from Thomas Edison! When he returned home after his discovery, he laughed at his mother who was sitting on the terrace near the house and the only thing he said to her was: “ well-chosen words, very smart”. Louisa could only look at him in surprise and think that he had lost his mind. Louisa knew that Larry could not exactly place the quote she'd used a few days ago, but she had no idea that Larry had spent days trying to unravel who had said the words she used, whose quote it was.

Louisa turned her attention towards Theo Stephanides en greeted him. She had not seen Theo for a few days and asked him how his conference had been on the mainland. Theo talked about his study about microscopic water organisms and the conference giving him new insights. Louisa nodded and smiled but had no clue what he was talking about. She did not want to show that she was not really interested. She felt smart after Larry's comment, but that feeling quickly faded when Theo was talking with Harry as the were now.

Theo stayed for a cup of tea because he needed to talk to Gerry. But if Louisa was honest, she had no idea where Gerry was. As often the last days, he left early in the morning with Harry and sometimes with Gallini. Luckily it did not take long for Gerry to come back from his trip that day. Louisa enjoyed seeing how warm and enthusiastic the greeting was between her youngest son Gerry and his best friend Theo. She could see that Theo wanted to ask Gerry something because he was impatient. Theo could keep his enthusiasm better than Gerry because Gerry immediately told what he had experienced with Harry that day and which animals they had encountered and which animals they had brought back to the house. Theo could soon tell what was on his mind. He wanted to go on an adventure with Gerry and Harry, because after three days in a suit at a conference, he was ready to wander around Corfu again and spend some time with his nature loving friends.

He proposed to go to South Corfu together and stay there for a a couple of days in a tent. If they stayed for more than a few hours or a day, they would have had time to view, observe and admire everything in their surroundings.

According to Theo, South Corfu was the ideal place if you are looking for peace and quiet, where dunes, sandy beaches and nature reserves alternate. Louisa saw Gerry's face light up and his eyes beamed. She immediately heard Gerry's question: may I, may I ? How could she say no? Gerry, Harry and Theo immediately went inside the house to plan everything for the day after tomorrow. 

Larry and Leslie walked out of the house together and joined her on the terrace overlooking the beautiful and peaceful Ionian sea. Leslie indicated that he was happy to be out of the house. Inside there was too much noise and it only got worse when his brother came in. Leslie asked Louisa why they were zo bloody happy. She told Leslie and Larry that the three of them were planning a trip for a few days to South Corfu. Larry had been silent until then. He sat up in his chair and held his finger in the air as a sign of a great idea: “ When Theo is camping with his nature friends then I can temporarily stay in his house and therefore I can write without being disturbed and work on my new book in silence. “ Oh gosh, I am brilliant!” he shouted.

Louisa had to remind Larry that he had to discuss this with Theo and ask him nicely! Larry would even suggest taking care of Theo’s house and animals for a few days. Larry rushed in and came back a few minutes later. Louisa smiled at the resemblance between her youngest and her eldest son; both thrilled but for completely different things.

\----  
2.2. Getting ready

It was very crowded in the living room with everyone coming and going. Everyone had come to their house the night before to spend the night before they went to camp with the four of them. There were many stories shared about previous adventures on Corfu but also the adventures that the Durrell family had experienced in India. Even rain-ridden moments of camping in Great Britain from William. He also had tricks to make a fire in the rain or in wet conditions. They all laughed because they did not need it here in Corfu; Corfu being the sun-drenched island. Others shared thrilling stories about encounters with crocodiles and elephants but they also laughed a lot. They all had enjoyed last evening immensely.

The horn of Spiro’s car sounded around noon. Louisa knew that Spiro would come but still she was startled and a shudder went through her. This always happened if he was around, it was because in fact he was always in her thoughts, every hour of the day.

When Spiro entered the living room, he was immediately warmly embraced by Margo and greeted by all the other people present. Louisa wished she could greet Spiro as Margo did, but she only nodded and gave him a smile. Spiro looked at her for a moment, but she was not sure what she saw in his eyes: anger, frustration or jealousy? No, she had probably seen it wrong because he was at the other side of the room. When she wanted to turn around, she bumped into William who stood right behind her. William grabbed her so she would not fall. As she thanked William, she turned and her eyes caught Spiro’s look: was it anger or jealousy? But why, because William was so close? A warm glow rushed through her veins but she also got a little angry. She grabbed Williams' hand and asked if he wanted to help her prepare the picnic baskets and she was pulling him towards the kitchen. Far away from the piercing eyes of Spiro. 

Before she disappeared in the kitchen she looked back quickly. Once she was in the kitchen she realized that with her behavior she made things worse and instantly regretted her actions. 

Spiro was left with his anger in the living room. He always loved to come to the Durrells house but lately he got more and more frustrated. Every time he came to the house, there was that guy Wiliam. He did not like him and not only because William was always there beside mrs Durrells and he was not. He dreamed of mrs Durrells and he wanted to be close to her, but he knew he had obligations to his family. He tried to forget everything, but no matter how hard he tried, he did not succeed. 

In his mind he saw how things could lead to a relationship between Louisa and William. He could only stand there and watch it happen. Or could he do something?? What he needed was something to take his mind off everything. Spiro did what made others happy and he called: "what stuff can be brought to the car".

Everyone waved at the foursome as if they were leaving for a few weeks. Louisa was not worried because she knew the children were in good hands with Theo and Harry. Spiro brought Gerry, Harry, Galini and Theo to Southern Corfu where they went camping and stayed for a few days. Immediately thereafter, Larry left with his typewriter and some personal belongings in his hand for Theo's house.

Louisa was alone with her guests, but fortunately two of the four children, Leslie and Margo were at home. Not that she could expect much help from Leslie because he immediately ran outside shouting “ I am out hunting”. Louisa doubted whether he was hunting or chasing the ladies. Margo tried to be indispensable in Theo’s practice and in the care of Florence’s son. Louisa was happy that Margo liked her work which gave her purpose in her daily life.

\----  
2.3 Camping

The drive to South Corfu was great and on the way they already saw a lot. Every now and then they drove Spiro to madness because they had wanted to stop far too often. 

As a consequence they arrived late at the destination in South Corfu. At this time of the year sunset was around 19.30 so they had to be quick. Harry had chosen a nice place where they could pitch the tents. Theo and Harry were experienced campers and they had set up the two tents in no time. The four of them thanked Spiro and waved him out. Spiro would come to pick them up in a couple of days. 

It was great when they woke up the next morning because they were treated with a fantastic view of the sea and lively nature around them. The only downside was the smell that surrounded the tent. It was the piercing smell of feces or something like that from an animal.

But they could not and would not worry about it because day one had started and they wanted to go on an adventure right away. They went up into a landscape of deep green hills, criss-crossed by valleys lined with cypresses. Butterflies flitted among the trees; there was the sound of birdsong, and the occasional splash of colour from a wild rose or pyramid orchid. It was lovely!

On the fourth day they came across the Monastery Of The Blessed Virgin Mary. It was a long walk up the mountain. There was almost no road, just rocks, sand and holes. The road was mostly overgrown by the trees and bushes. But the scenery along the way and the view from the top was spectacular. They had to pull Harry on his coat because he was open-mouthed with astonishment at the great vistas and did not notice the cliff edges. It was here that they saw the most amazing views the island of Corfu had to offer. 

Once at the top of the mountain the stunning view overwhelmed them and at the same time they felt a feeling of calm relaxation. When they caught their breath, they walked for a few meters in the forest towards the ruin of the Monastery. It wasn’t big, it was completely overgrown and deserted but it was also veiled in mystery. They walked around a bit and then Gallini discovered a diversion within walking distance: a secret beach.They went down there and spent a wonderful afternoon in and around the water.

On that afternoon they were caught by a sudden change of the weather. It was Gerry who noticed it and it was a long way back to the camping ground. Fortunately, they were able to make the walk back to their tents dry. Otherwise the hills and rocks became too slippery and a fall could easily happen.

Back at their tents it started to rain and not minutes later there was heavy thunder. One of the tents was released by the strong wind. The tent blew through the air and disappeared over a hill. It revealed where de tent was placed. They all laughed loud in the pouring rain. The tent was set up on a pile of goat’s excrement. No wonder the smell….

There was no time for lingering: they had to save the remaining tent and try to make a fire to stay warm. They wished they had listened to William at the house the evening before their departure. William had been explaining how to make fire in the rain. That evening they laughed at the inappropriate and crazy story of William about camping in the rain. If only they knew then… Nothing to do about that now. Theo suggested they seek shelter for de heavy rain and thunder.

\--

At the “ Daffodil Yellow villa” Louisa and Leslie tried to shut all the shutters for protection of the rain. Margo was still in town with Florence and dr. Petrides so no worries about her. Louisa’s thoughts kept on drifting to Gerry and the others in their tents. She wished she knew they were alright. 

As if he knew and sensed her concern, Spiro drove up to their house. Entering in his raincoat in the kitchen he looked at her and asked her: “ everything alright? I was worried.” Yes, with her everything fine, but she told Spiro about her worry about Gerry, Theo, Gallini and Harry. Her forehead frowned and he knew the look of a worried mother when he saw one. He wanted to hold her in his arms until her worries were over. Unfortunately that was not possible, not only because William stood beside her, but there were dozens of other reasons. He could help her now with what he was good at: being a taxi driver. Spiro suggested he go and fetch them. Louisa interrupted his suggestion because she could not ask him to endanger his own life is this horrible weather. He told her he had been in worst rain and thunderstorm and reassured her he was going to be fine. Louisa said: “ be careful Spiro and please return home safe … with everybody” . Then he went off.

\--

Harry and Theo protected Gerry and Gallini and they found a little cove near their camping site where the could shelter for the terrible weather for a while. It felt like they had spend hours in the cove. They all told a story to kill the time. The rain came down. Soft then hard..Heavens have opened, it was bucketing down. After a while they heard de claxon of Spiro’s car. Spiro their savior and hero in harsh times. 

\--

Louisa was pacing trough the living room. She could not sit quietly as William asked of her. She constantly looked out the window , being too worried and too restless. All of a sudden she could hear a faint sound of a car and when she looked out, she was excited to see Spiro’s car. Soon she saw five people running toward her frontdoor and into the hallway. She embraced Gerry and showered him with kisses and hugs and told Gerry that she was glad he was home and that she loved him. It brought tears to her eyes. Then she embraced and hugged Gallini and Harry. William led the three to the living room where Leslie had lighted a fire at the fireplace.

Before giving Theo a big she first asked if they were alright. Theo answered: “Yes we are completely wet and cold but everything is fine except for one tent. One of the tents was completely broken and blown away in front of us. But thanks to Spiro’s excellent driving, we and some extra animals have come back safely on the muddy and slippery roads. He brought us safe to your home.” 

She turned and without hesitation she hugged Spiro firmly and said: “ Oh Spiro, were would I be without you”. All of a sudden she realized she embraced Spiro, that his arms were wrapped around her and his hands rested on her back. They did not pay any attention to their surroundings and hadn’t noticed that Theo had also gone to the living room. Despite the open frontdoor and the cold of the rain, she felt her temperature rise. For a moment they looked each other in the eyes and Louisa mumbled: “ Oh Spiro, …I,..I,.. don’t want to be wit…. “ She was interrupted by Williams voice “ Louisa were are you, come inside it’s warm here”. She wanted to go but then she turned back towards Spiro and gently kissed him on the cheek and said: “Thank you very much”.

Spiro hated that awful man William! He always was there to disturb something good and always something came up when he was around. In his mind William grew more and more into an obstacle although he knew Louisa could choose who ever she wanted. He still was married and bound to his family. He touched his cheek and could still feel her lips there. Magnificent, wonderful!


	3. Larry in trouble?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larry makes a discovery , he is in trouble and Spiros Greek temperament.

Chapter 3

3.1. At Theo’s home

From the moment Larry set foot in Theo's house he knew he made a good choice by coming here. Theo's house was amazing: beautiful, full of books, quiet and without stray animals and no droppings on the ground. Ok, there were enough animals in aquariums or terrariums, but these animals were not bothering him. The only thing Theo asked him that he fed the animals while he was gone.

Another positive side-effect of staying in Theo's house was that he lived closer to Corfu town and occasionally could have a drink at the cafe. The day of his arrival he had gone to town at night.

When he arrived at the village square he saw that there was a party. It was a typical Greek party: loud, lively and lots of people. Greek people don’t understand the meaning of the word small; they do everything big and bigger. He drunk a beer and tried to speak to local people, especially those of the female sex. All ladies present were, well he called them bombshells…. Each and every one of them. 

Larry was surprised by the people present, surprised by their energy and warmth for each other. Of course he knew Greek people like Theo and Spiro, but these people were different. They got loud, were emotional, protective, concerned and cautious, yet fierce, aggressive and bold and they did it all, with good intent. He saw their immense passion. Once his mother said she wanted to be more like Spiro: In love with life. There on the village square he saw exactly what his mother meant and realized that he wanted to be that way too. From that moment on he had a new motto and pinned 3 words to it: love, live and passion. He was thrilled that he had come here because he got inspiration for a new book, with a new Greek character.

Larry met an interesting and beautiful woman. Her name was Maia and they got into a conversation with each other. Her English was very good and it turned out she was a painter and she was what he called a bookworm. They talked about the Brontë sisters, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, D.H. Lawrence and William Shakespeare and many many more. They talked for hours and several subjects have been discussed. And Larry knew then that he had met a kindred spirit. Larry was surprised: it is remarkable to just meet someone with whom you have a connection, feel as if you are connected to each other … by this red string. But perhaps more earth-shattering was his realisation that he did not see her as a woman to be conquered. Well that was a new thing…

Maia also surprised him by saying that he was not at all like her aunt described "the English on the island". Larry was totally baffled and asked what she meant. Maia explained that it was said that they lived free in their home because they did not want to pay, that they were taking advantage of the goodness of the Greeks and also that they looked down on the local population. The only thing Larry could do at that moment was to stare at her with an open mouth. He needed a moment to find the right words, but they did not come. His only statement was: bollocks! 

Maia pointed out her aunt Elene, she was on the other side of the square and she was flirtatiously dancing with David, a guest who stayed at their home. Elene saw them looking and quickly turned around because she felt exposed. Maia and Larry went over to David and Elene. Elene was a good looking slightly older woman than Maia. 

Maia might be considered to be a greek standard beauty with a high forehead, straight nose, a clear shape of the face, neat lips and a great figure. But like many other greek woman Larry had encountered, Elene seemed to know a lot about make-up and how it can turn her into a beauty. He believed women with too much make-up were a turnoff. 

Maia introduced them: “this is my aunt Elene Hakaiopulos, aunt this is Larry Durrell.” He looked at her, stunned for a moment but then he quickly got a hold of himself searching his cunning brain for the right words to open a strategic conservation. Larry said: “ Hello, I am Larry, I am one of the children of the crazy degenerate English family with an gold digging, pathetic and condescending mother, according to some. Oh yeah I am also a famous writer, how about you?” Elene blushed and looked away but could quickly recover. “ Yes I am Elene, a proud greek woman who believes in family life and has free taxi rides.” They had an light conversation with the four of them before they said goodbye. Larry and Maia took another last drink. When Larry reached the bar, Elene came to him. Elene asked Larry if they could forget this meeting and he would grant her this for now. But he would certainly keep it in mind and maybe it might come in handy this encounter with Elene…. Spiro’s wife!

=======

3.2 Larry’s encounter with an animal

Larry loved writing in Theo’s house, his writers block was instantly gone and the inspiration for his new book came like waves on the sea in large quantities. He had lots of thoughts of situations, characters and plots. He had to watch out that his head did not burst with his brilliant thoughts. When he felt that his brain was boiling, he went to town and had lunch together with Margo in town. Small talk was one of her strong sides. It was nice to see his sister blossom and got more self-confidence now that she was working with Theo and the doctor in their practice. Margo managed to run a tidy ship and make some money on the way and that made their mother happy. Larry complimented her on doing a fine job.

For more in-depth literary exchange, he went to Maia. Maia lived a 20-minute walk away from Theo. One day he decided to visit her. When he was on his way he met Spiro in his taxi. Larry asked if Spiro had visited his mother recently. Spiro asked worriedly, “ why is something wrong?” Like a wolf in sheep clothes Larry asked Spiro, “ Can you visit mother today. I am worried, mother is alone with the guests during the day because we are preoccupied with other things. And I also need some notebooks that are in my room.” With that he gave Spiro a reason to visit his mother. 

Larry walked on to Maia and on the way he enjoyed the beautiful landscape of Corfu. He thought that this was one of the best things they had done as a family, swapping the drizzly England for sunny Corfu. At one of the cliffs he sat down to enjoy the view. He sat down in the grass and leaned his arms backwards and put his head in his neck to enjoy the sun. He stayed there for a few minutes and enjoyed himself. Within five minutes he had arrived at Maia’s house. 

Maia was sitting on the porch of her house, and she appeared to be asleep: the siesta. Larry did not want to wake her and took a walk through the garden. He admired the beautiful roses, orchids and her little herb garden with mint, camomile, oregano, thyme. Well those were the herbs that he recognized. When he walked on he came to a large shed. He could not control his curiosity and went inside. His eyes needed some time to adjust to get used to the dark, but soon he saw a horse-drawn carriage, an olive press and a few horses. Probably one of the best ways to take in all of the beautiful landscapes is to take a nice, slow, long ride in a horse-drawn carriage through the magnificent Corfu. He would ask Maia if she wanted to show him the island in a horse-drawn carriage.

He walked towards the horses but they became a little restless when Larry approached. Larry wanted to calm the horse and raised his hands with some food in it. At that moment the door opened and he heard, ”hands up, otherwise I'll shoot”. Larry turned around and said, “ it is I, Larry” and simultaneously he felt a sharp pain in his right hand. The horse had not only taken the food from his hand but also had bitten him. Larry screamed and quickly pulled his hand back and saw the blood coming from his right hand and he screamed, “dumb shortsighted animal”. Maia looked at his hand and hurried back out of the shed and came back with bandages for his hand. Together they went to Dr. Petrides on horseback. In town everybody watched Larry and Maia but they didn’t notice and went straight to the doctor.  
Dr Petrides examined his hand and said he had been lucky the horse had not bitten harder. Fortunately everything would be fine and the wound was deep but not too deep that it had hit a vein. The doctor bandaged the wound and put his arm in a sling. He advised Larry to take it easy so that the wound would not burst.

Outside they met Spiro and he insisted on bringing Larry home, to mrs Durrells. Larry persuaded him to take him to Theo's house. Spiro could only agree with this if Larry promised that Margo would join him. Margo could help Larry and take care of him. Larry reluctantly agreed to this. 

Margo took her task very seriously. Margo fulfilled his every wish. If he wanted something to drink she fetched it and she made food for him. It was not the food that mother prepared so deliciously but Margo did her best. Larry had to admit that Spiro was right and it was nice that Margo was near. The day after Larry realized that he was not able to type or write properly with one of his hands in bandages. What was he to to? Margo had attended to him en had stayed the night over to help him, but Margo couldn’t help him with writing. Larry tried to get through his day by reading, eating, and feeding Theo’s weird collection of animals in aquariums or terrariums, but he began to get bored at one point. The next two days were even worse and he got more frustrated not being able to write/ type his new book. 

One night they had to stay inside because it was raining very hard. They had to make sure Theo's house stayed tidy and no rain came in. Larry and Margo talked a lot that evening, on very different subjects. Together they had a wonderful evening and he almost forgot that his hand hurt. 

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3.3 Spiros Greek temperament

At Larry's request, Spiro drove to Louisa's house. Spiro found Louisa in the kitchen. She had not heard him come because there was music in the house. Before he entered he stood at the kitchen door for a moment and watched her. He loved her movements, her hand on the dough, her smooth movements on the music. He thought about her hands on his face, in his hair and on his body. He had to stop doing this, making himself crazy. 

She danced around the kitchen with an imaginary dance partner. She twirled in delight on the music. Spiro stepped forward when Louisa was close to him, he grabbed her hands and together they continued dancing. Louisa was shocked for a moment, but a warm smile came to her face and she said, “Oh hello Spiro, how long have you been standing there?” Spiros answer was simple, “long enough to admire your movements through the kitchen. We need to talk mrs Durrells”. A warmth rose to her head, she blushed and several butterflies escaped in her belly. 

She released herself from his arms and stopped dancing. Louisa said, “ I am making drinks, what do you like?” Spiro observed her from head to toe with that special look in his eyes. Was it a mixture of admiration and lust? Louisa said, “ Bad choice of words, I am sorry.” Spiro answered in a soft voice, “ no problem and yes … I knows what I like.” That look was back in his beautiful dark eyes. If she thought she was already warm inside, this gaze, his piercing eyes, gave her a feeling which was much more intense, she was on fire! The only thing she said was, “ Spiro please do not make it more difficult than it already is.” 

They were interrupted by Leslie who came into the kitchen. Spiro got his act together the fastest and greeted Leslie warmly by asking him how he was doing. Leslie gave Spiro an answer, but he soon after disappeared and shouted that he was going hunting.

There was a tense atmosphere but that changed abruptly when they smelled the faint smell of fire. Spiro said, “mmm Louisa I think it is not us, it is your cake that is on fire.” Louisa needed a moment to understand what he was saying, but then she quickly hurried to the oven to take the cake out. Luckily she had made two cakes and one cake was well baked. The other cake was burned and could be thrown away. “ Time for tea with cake”, Louisa said.

Together they enjoyed the tea and the delicious cake. Spiro complimented her by calling her the best cook he knew. Louisa especially enjoyed their conversation. It was the first time they had a conversation as friends. She missed Spiro as her great dear friend.

After several minutes Spiro cursed and Greek words followed. He had almost forgotten to ask for the notebook for Larry. They both went upstairs to look for Larry’s notebook in his room. They stood at his desk picking up books, paper and letters. Louisa touched Spiros arm and both got goose bumps and a tinkle where they touched each other. Again Spiro did an attempt to tell Louisa that they needed to talk. Sadly they were interrupted bij William who was calling for Louisa.  
Spiro acted immediately by stepping closer and holding his hand over her mouth. In this way she could not respond to Wiliam. Louisa was immensely surprised when Spiro whispered in her ears, “ he is pain in the ass, always disturbing. Please don’t answer, I want to talk to you.” 

Louisa frowned because she did not understand what Spiro meant and she simply wanted to give William an answer. She did not wait and walked to the door and called, "I am here William, at Larry's room." Spiro was disappointed and turned his eyes away from her. Louisa saw the tormented look in his eyes, but she did not have time to ask him anything because William was running up the stairs. Louisa was standing at the door. Actually, it was a strange situation. Spiro stood on one side of the door in Larry's room and William was on the other side of the door in the hallway.

William looked at her shyly with a rose in his hands and she encouraged him by asking if something was wrong. William began to talk, "The boat will leave in a few days as you know Louisa, I've had a great time here in Corfu over the past few weeks. It is because of this wonderful island, but if I'm honest, it's mostly because you're here, you're on this island, Louisa. I've grown very fond of you for the past few weeks and I don’t want to go back to England, I'd like to stay here with you. I can help you with your guest house and assist you in everything. Wil you please think about this?” 

This left Louisa entirely perplexed. She gasped for air a couple of times. William thought it was because he had declared his love a bit cumbersome. But he didn’t know that on the other side of the door Spiro had taken her hand in his own and had put kisses on it. She swallowed a few times before she could answer William, "Okay, thank you, William, very kind of you and I'll think about it.” William glowed with happiness, gave her the rose, walked downstairs and left the house.

Immediately afterwards, Louisa looked at Spiro. Spiro felt infuriated, deeply put upon, and absolutely outraged. His face was tight with anger. Spiro asked half growling, "Do you love him, does he make you happy, do you feel explosions of tingling when he touches you?" Louisa was still upset from William's declaration of love when Spiro asked her these questions and she got angry with him, "why do you ask me these questions, I do not know what I feel and why do you want to know everything, it's my life." At that moment she was confused and shaken and found Spiro's questions inappropriate. She wanted to go on with her life, but that did not happen when Spiro always made her heart beat faster, having feelings like being on a rollercoaster when she was near him. Spiro tried to stay calm but his Greek temperament got the best of him and he said to her, “Louisa please do not accept William's offer, he is not the man for you, he does not make you laugh and makes you tingle when he touches you. " Louisa could not believe it. How brutal, bold and fearless these words were. She felt her anger, but also the tears that were about to come. The only thing she could say with an unsteady voice and tears in her eyes were, “ I, I .. don’t want to need you, Spiro, …. cause I can’t have you!” 

Then she fled from the room and went outside to the fields around the house. She left Spiro behind, angry, surprised and sad because of the quarrel they just had and because he had made Louisa, the woman he loved, cry for the umpteenth time. These thoughts came like a bolt from the blue for Spiro. Spiro left the house feeling a stone in his stomach instead of the usual butterflies.


End file.
